Fireball Over Kitt Peak (Panorama)

A fireball streaks across the sky above the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab. Below the ultrabright meteor is the NSF KPNO 2.1-meter Telescope. To the side is the NSF McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, which has been given a new life as a dynamic astronomy visualization and presentation center focused on astronomy. The new center is funded by NSF and is set to open in mid-2025.

This photo was featured as an Image of the Week and a fulldome version of this image here.